Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** the main objective of this…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** the main objective of this integrated project is to provide students the opportunity to participate in research and extension projects with a focus on data analytics to address important challenges in the areas of agfinance, food marketing, and food security. Students will work with each other and faculty members fromfour institutions. At the culmination of the program, students will attend the agricultural and applied economics association meeting to present their work and participate in student competitions, conditional on acceptance. Each cohort will include 12 students, a total of 60 students during the five year project. The program is available to students offour institutions (michigan state university, auburn university, oregon state university, anduniversity of georgia)in their junior year. The program is also available to second-year students of community colleges who plan to transfer for an undergraduate degree at one of the four aforementioned institutions. Each year, a selection process will be used to admit a diverse group of students, prioritizing students from disadvantaged backgrounds and students who show exceptional promise to become leaders in the agricultural and food industry. Each university will contribute no more than 25% of the cohort in any given year.students will be paired up with faculty, as well as mentors from industry, to provide them with guidance and insight in their chosen academic and career paths. In addition to four faculty members, there will be a total of 12 external mentors. The mentors represent a diverse group of professionals in various stages of their careers, and eager to assist the next generation of professionals in the food and agriculture industry.with this project, we strive to equip students with valuable skills that will lead them to more successful careers, while also contributing to workforce and future leadership development for the food and agriculture industry nationwide. This proposal addresses afri farm bill priority areas 3 and 6.